ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., April 26, 2022 — St. Johns County was recently recognized for the 29th consecutive year for its financial reporting excellence and transparency by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada. The GFOA awarded its Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and County Comptroller for its fiscal year 2019-2020 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.

“This award demonstrates St. Johns County’s continued and enduring commitment to maintaining the highest standards of fiscal accountability and transparency,” said St. Johns County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Brandon J. Patty. “Our Comptroller’s Office continues to work exceptionally hard and meticulously to manage our county’s tax dollars and investments.”

The GFOA established the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program to “encourage and assist state and local governments to go beyond the minimum requirements of generally accepted accounting principles to prepare annual comprehensive financial reports that evidence the spirit of transparency and full disclosure and then to recognize individual governments that succeed in achieving that goal.”

“Earning the Certificate of Achievement for 29 consecutive years demonstrates the county’s abiding commitment to excellence in financial stewardship,” Clerk Patty said.

According to GFOA, the Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. The county’s annual financial report was judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly share financial information and motivate the public to review the report.

The 2020 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, a 400-plus-page accounting of the county’s fiscal year 2019-2020 budget and finances, can be found online at stjohnsclerk.com/comprehensive_annual_financial_report/.

Last fall, Clerk Patty unveiled a condensed version of the 2020 report, called the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR). The inaugural PAFR booklet features comprehensive report highlights written for the general public and others without a background in public finance and illustrates how county tax dollars are collected and spent. It can be found at stjohnsclerk.com/pafr/.

Headquartered in Chicago, Ill., GFOA is a major professional organization serving the needs of more than 20,000 appointed and elected local, state/provincial and federal government finance officials involved in planning, financing and implementing thousands of governmental operations.